When All Fails In This World
by Red-Sunnies
Summary: Tony and Bruce create an Artificial Intelligence. She is quick witted and adaptable, however, this is also her fault. She vulnerable to compromise and defeat. What started off as merely a new piece of technology to be sold to the highest bidder turned into something that threatens mankind. Hints of Stony and Banner/Potts. Oc insert, sorry guys.
1. In the Beginning

The lab was silent, save for the ticking and petite clinking of machinery and tools. Dr Banner, intent on his work, looked up to Tony then back to the synthetic chest cavity he was tinkering with. He looked up at the face, then back to the battery he was testing. He sighed, and rubbed his eyes under his glasses. The robotic arm named DUMM-E was attached to the synthetic body by at least a dozen wires, the thing put into sleep mode while they worked. Dr Banner glanced at the face again.

"Why did you make it female?" He asked, in a half-hearted complaint. They had been testing for weeks, calibrating and transferring data. The only outside contact came when Pepper would come to consult Tony or Steve would wonder in, bored. They left because of the thing that lay on the operating table Tony had set up. It was unnervingly real, the skin and face an uncanny similarity to an actual human. The only flaw was that it was completely symmetrical. Utterly flawless, which isn't exactly bad, but it made looking at the android too long, unsettling.

"Females are more trustworthy in the eye of the public. I did some market research. Plus we need the female model for the full extent of the prototype capabilities. We need to fully test out this beauty's full capacity, we need a woman." It was no big deal to Tony, he thought nothing strange about this while set up. It still gave Dr Banner the creeps to no extent.

"But why DUMM-E? I mean couldn't you just make a new AI and just tweak it as you go along?" Bruce asked again, now closing the chest cavity cover and moving to the abdomen. Lifting the hatch slightly, the skin slid aside, making Bruce grimace.

"Do you realise who you're talking to? Don't be a dunce Bruce, I know your intellect extends past the gamma radiation." Tony said, not even looking away from the console he had hooked up to the AI's mainframe. "Simply, I could not be fucked to design a new interface with new protocols and human interactions. That takes far too much coding and my time is literally worth billions. Also, I'm impatient and I want to play with this new toy." He added the last part sounding much like a five year old. Bruce thought on it a while. DUMM-E did have the basics already needed to make a half decent protocol droid. Tony was just refining the commands and expanding the range. Twenty Six days they'd been at this. Finally, it seemed, today would be the day that the project would be complete.

"Okay, so she's physically ready. The rest is up to you. Nothing seems faulty and all of her hydraulics and wiring seems perfect." Bruce said, now sitting back in his chair and replacing the abdomen access hatch. He removed his glasses and cleaned them then rubbed his temples.

"She's perfect because you wired her yourself. Don't doubt your abilities. I just have a few more things to add here and I'm done." Tony replied distractedly, a wicked grin on his face.  
/Sir, Miss. Potts is here to see you./ JARVIS suddenly announced, making Bruce jump. It was the first time the mainframe had addressed them all day, it really was easy to forget it existed. Tony chuckled and entered the command to let Pepper in.

"Be cool Banner." Tony said a smile still on his face. Bruce shook his head and laughed a little. His eyes landed on the Synthetic life form and the reality of the situation hits again. They're creating a competent AI, something that might change the world. So far the Japanese hadn't come too close to what Tony was doing right here but they weren't far off. If it's one thing Tony liked more than scotch, it was competition. Pepper entered and surveyed the chaos around her, looking pinched.

"What's up, Pepper Potts?" Tony asked, still not looking from the console.

"The Weyland Company is pressuring me to get this thing done and ready for showcase." She said, her face looking pinched but professional. Her stance was formal and stiff, obviously she was under a lot of stress. Bruce, recognising this, got up and offered her coffee.

"You don't have coffee down here." She stated simply.  
"He's not moving any time soon, trust me. Not once has he looked at my face for the past three days." Bruce ushered Pepper out, a hand at her back rubbing small, comforting circles.


	2. The Frankenstein Moment

Bruce ended up making tea because Pepper was simply too jumpy to need any more stimulants. They chatted idly about life and how the two were doing, Pepper venting her frustration with the people at Weyland Industries. Bruce couldn't remember at which point in Pepper's monologue he had grabbed the rum nearby and poured some in both their mugs, but it happened all the same. The atmosphere was easy and light, a change to what the two had been experiencing the past few weeks, and it was nice. Steve joined them, wrinkling his nose at the offer of tea and rum. Thor wandered in at some point and they all had a good whine. Needless to say that Thor's numerous stories of a magical adopted brother won the unofficial contest. The kitchen became crowded and loud, in a warm way.

/Master Tony would like you all to come to the lab now. I'm afraid it's rather important./ Jarvis announced, Bruce and Pepper exchanged a look. They made their way down to the geek cave Tony and Bruce had created over the last weeks. The clutter was mess for the rest of them, but Tony and Bruce knew exactly where everything was and what it was.

"I think she's finally ready. I mean, I think." Tony said, now carefully removing the wires from the android's head. Bruce picked up some instruments on the table next to the table of the body.

"Tony, are you sure? I mean, we can wait. Well, I know I can." Bruce said, chuckling lightly at the look he got from Tony.

"What is this? Who is she? Is she hurt?" Thor, rapidly firing questions, became concerned. He walked forward to examine the body on the table. Her face was peaceful and her hair was as white as a sheet of snow. Her skin was pale and dappled with freckles here and there, covered mostly in a white tank top and blue jeans.

"Calm down big guy, she's a synthetic life form. I built her with Banner. She's not alive. Not yet." Tony said, throwing a playful glance at Bruce.

"Anthony, I did not know Midgardian males could have children! Congratulations, my friend!" Thor teased lightly, beaming at the two men.

"No, that's not… Whatever." Tony said, too excited about his new toy to really care at what Thor was implying. Bruce, however, stood staring shocked at Thor. Tony removed the last wire and the body seemed to sink a little, becoming limp. Everyone flinched away slightly. Tony rearranged her limbs so she looked comfortable. Her body had simply become malleable, flexible and honestly, more human like. Tony reached a hand over to unlock a small control panel under her collar bone.

"Do we start her in fully operational mode or do we take it slowly?" Bruce asked. Tony glanced at Bruce.

"Honestly? You're asking me that? I never do anything on safe mode." He said, winking at Bruce. Tony was about to press the small button that meant bringing the android to life when Steve piped up.

"Wait! What if she goes crazy? What if she kills us all? What if she discovers time travel, replicates herself and then kills us?" Panic cracking Cap's voice. The Avengers looked at Captain America, fearless leader. Tony raised an eyebrow.

"Clint showed you the Terminator movies didn't he?" He asked monotonously. Steve looked defensive, his arms across is chest.

"He may have…" he looked up at Tony as he smiled.

"Relax baby, enjoy the moment." He winked at Steve and turned his attention to the buttons once more. A push of the button and at first nothing happened. Tony's brows furrowed and Bruce went to take his glasses off. Then, very suddenly, her eyes snapped open, her body arched toward the ceiling, and she took a sharp breath and that made everyone in the room tense. Thor and Steve moved into battle stance. Pepper grabbed a nearby spanner while Bruce tensed, willing his heart rate to even out again. She let the breath go and sat up, blinking a few times. She looked from person to person, analysing everyone's vital signs and defensive stances. She looked to Bruce to her left, his readings slightly elevated. She reached a hand up to touch his arm when she saw them; hands, her hands. Her concern of Bruce's vital signs soon forgotten, she brought them up to her face, flexing each joint cautiously. Everyone in the room studied her movements closely, like she was a wild animal who could easily kill them all. Turning her hands over she looked them over and then smiled. Then her eyes widened and her hands flew to her face. Pepper put down her weapon and the rest eased out of battle mode. She fingered lightly over her face, inspecting it. With her face thoroughly memorised, she once more faced the room of strangers. With her eyes wide, her eyes landed to Tony. A face she could never forget.


	3. All In The Name

Hello :)

Here is the next section, slightly longer than the previous chapters :D My beautiful laptop decided to un-eat the rest of my chapters so I can post them here! Huzzah :3

Thanks for sticking with it.

Happy readings,

Red Sunnies!

* * *

"Mr Stark?" She tested her voice; it was smooth and pleasant. He nodded and she composed herself, putting on a serene mask. "Systems are functional and ready for testing, sir." She said curtly, sounding like a feminine JARVIS. Tony nodded and waved Banner over, his ego swelling. He did it; he created artificial life in a realistic looking body.

"Ahem, test her eyes and reflexes, Dr Banner." He instructed while preparing a clipboard to record notes on. Bruce moved in front of her, helping the droid into a sitting position.

"Okay, how's your vision? How far can you see?" He asked her while watching the small lenses in her eyes adjust and re adjust.

"I can see well enough into the next building to know that the man on the 74th floor is playing angry birds." She says in a calm, sterile voice. They all look at her, amazed. "Did I say something wrong?" she asks, her head cocking to the side.

"No. Not at all. How well do you do at short-range vision?" Bruce asked her. Pale blue eyes met his green ones.

"You have 72 eyelashes on your right eyelid." She smiled smugly at his shocked expression. "Is that good?" She asked.

"Brilliant. That's remarkable." Pepper interjected. The android looked to her and smiled. Pepper smiled back. Steve looked nervous, she looked at him then, noticing his vital signs was higher than anyone else's.

"Are you afraid? Your heart signature is rather high for the situation at hand." She asked him, still a serene voice.

"Can you kill humans?" Steve asks out of the blue, everyone in the room turns to stare at him. He looks around at them. "It's a valid question." He says, crossing his arms defensively.

"Shall I include Captain Rogers on my commands list, sir?" She directs the question to Tony but never looks away from Steve.

"Yes, while you're at it, include everyone in this room as an acceptable commander. Make me priority admin." Tony says then turning to his clipboard and scribbling something down.

"Why on this planet would I want to kill a human?" She asks Steve. They are shocked, Tony and Bruce intrigued at this interaction.

"You tell us." Steve says cryptically. She searches for an answer.

"I would only kill if they were going to inflict direct and immediate harm to any person who is defenseless. But I will not go out of my way to harm a human being. They would get blood on my synthetic skin; it would be an unpleasant task to remove." Her answer was perfected by the small smile and wink she gave Cap. Tony scribbled furiously while everyone else in the room fell silent.

"Tony. Tony did you program your own mannerisms into her?" Bruce asked, pinching his brow. Tony chuckled.

"I may have. I also programmed some other mannerisms from various members of the team and other observations she may make. She can add and enhance by observing and programming it into her system. Make a pass at her and she blushes, like Cap." Tony, Pepper and Thor laughed. Steve looked indignant and unimpressed. The android looked around, analyzing the reactions to Master Tony's joke. Laughter and embarrassment. This /was/ interesting.

"Right, well, stand up if you're capable." Bruce directed to the small droid. She shifted on the seat until her feet were an inch from the ground.

"It now just occurred to me that I don't know how to walk. Curious." She stated, wiggling her toes. Bruce held out a hand to her, steadying her as her hydraulics stabilised her. "What a strange sensation. I'm very short. That is disappointing." She remarked making Tony smiled.

"Her personality core is kicking in. She should be fully operational in, oh, I'd say ten minutes." Tony continued to note on his clipboard at her progress.

"Third person reference. Do I have a name? Or am I going to be 'She' and 'Her' for the rest of my existence?" She now looked to Tony then back at Bruce who urged to her to take a step. She took one, his hand at her back, ready to catch her. "Oh, this is fun. It's like having wheels, but less fluid." She was making notes of this in her memory banks then backing them up on the mainframe.

"Let's see how you go with walking by yourself. Walk to Thor." Bruce instructed. Her eyes flew to Banner's face. Worry registered on her facial features, Tony noting it. She nodded and squared her shoulders. Her steps were precise but shook at the knees slightly. She was almost at Thor when her knee buckled, the calibration not yet done. Thor caught her, setting her upright. He beamed at her, as he did everyone. His large hands bunched the material of her white tank, revealing her stomach. She instantly froze, any wrong move and her casing would open. "Careful Thor, her casing opens easily." Bruce remarked, watching the pair.

"Oh. I'm sorry. Guess I'll have to let go then." Thor smiled, letting her stand on her own. She now was programming security into her access hatches to prevent future incidents. That way no one would be able to get into her vulnerable hardware.

"Do I need manual calibration? Or will the auto adjust take care of it?" She now directed the question back to Priority Admin.

"It's okay, a few more tries and the hydraulics should calibrate themselves." Tony said to the android. "Now, what are we going to name you?" Tony now pondered. He liked naming things after they were complete, to marvel at their beauty and find something that fitted them perfectly. "In the blue prints her model are the Operating System Hardware Advancement. But OSHA doesn't seem like an ordinary name." All the eyes in the room were on her.

"Sarah Connor" Steve said. Tony snorted at the suggestion.

"No. You're not going with a Terminator theme here." Tony gave him a sharp look. He didn't like having this many people in his lab, ever. However, this was a momentous occasion and he wanted to share his glory.

"Ardanata." Thor spoke up. He was scratching his beard thoughtfully.

"That's pretty." Pepper commented. Nods of agreement came at Thor's suggestion.

"I like that. I think I should get a say in this." The droid said, stretching her limbs and pacing around trying to calibrate her hydraulics. "It sounds old and ancient. Quite an oxymoron for a piece of technology that may be creating the way we look at androids for the future." She commented half to herself and half to those listening. "I like OSHA, but Tony is right, it is quite odd." As she spoke she ran a quick search for girls names. "I like Amelia. Oh! And Emily and Nina! This _is_ hard." She commented. "Calibrations done. Ready for reflexes tests." Standing straight and shoulders squared she prepared herself.

"Activate and run program 'Defence and Target scope' Subsection route Mercenary. Is everything operational?" Tony asked, frantically searching around for something.

"Affirmative. Defence and Target scope is operational and ready for systems testing. Application requires Manoeuvring and Enhanced Reflex program operation. Initiate?" She asked, now letting the scope stretch out around her, feeling her environment.

"Yes. Run programs. Aha! Found it!" Tony had found what he was looking for, turning suddenly and hurling it at the droid. Her eyes narrowed, calculating projected path and possible targets. It was headed for solely her. She caught it and flung it back to Tony, not losing any of the momentum it had built up. It missed Tony's head by millimetres and crashed into something behind him.

"You could have hit him!" Steve erupted. He was furious, it was all fun and games until Tony got hit with a ball travelling at speeds that was nearing the sound barrier.

"Captain Rogers, if I'd wanted to hit him, I would have. I will tell you this once more: I do not want to hurt human beings." She analysed his vital signs. He was a sort of calm furious that made her suspect that he valued Tony Stark more then he let anyone else know. This was valuable information.

"Calm down Steve. I'm okay. We were just playing. Good work by the way." He complimented the bot. "Now, you said you liked the name Nina? I like that." He smiled at her.

"I like it. It's pretty, just like you." Pepper piped in. This was going to be amazing to show to Weyland enterprises. He was going to have a fit when he sees what Tony created. She couldn't wait. Just then her phone buzzed, almost on cue. "Oh, it's Weyland. What should I tell him?" Pepper looked between Banner and Stark.

"Tell him the truth. Tell him we'll be there in three days." Tony had never looked so smug in his life. He was finally going to stick it to Weyland. This was going to be glorious. He needed a new suit and a kickass presentation. "Banner, you coming in with me to present our magnificent creation?" Tony really wanted Bruce there for him but doubted it was his thing.

"Sure. I want to meet Weyland. I've heard all about this guy. I want to see what kind of man we'll be handing Nina's blueprints over to." Bruce was not convinced about this man. Wanting to suddenly become buddies with a rivalling company? Something was up. Pepper left the room followed by Steve, in a brooding mood. Thor approached the trio. Quinn was wary, her defence mode still active.

"You are amazing! We must train someday. I could help you." Thor offered his hand. She took it and he shook it enthusiastically. He crackled electricity and power of a signature that she was not able to recognise. She wanted to study it more, wanted to know more.

"I'm going to go after Steve. He seemed pretty upset. Banner, can you show her to the training grounds?" Bruce nodded his head and re-adjusted his glasses. "Quinn, I'm giving you free reign. Please do _not_ set anything on fire. Please also don't do any experiments in the lab without someone else present. It's just not worth the risk. Please also get some rest at some point." Tony fussed over her, Quinn was his baby now, she meant a lot. Bruce raised his eyebrows at his paternal side, such words of concern from Tony did not come often.

"Tony, you make a good father!" Thor grinned and slapped him on the back. Tony looked at him sharply.

"Whatever, just don't hurt her. Banner, anything happens, I'm pinning this on you." He sighed and scrubbed his face with his hands. "Now, where is that patriotic idiot?".

"In the kitchen heading to the balcony." Quinn responded casually, she could track everyone's heat signature in the building. With a mumbled thanks Tony left.


End file.
